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Wednesday, August 11, 2004

When patriotism and nationalism just aren't the same.

In today's Straits Times there is an article about Japanese Teachers who refuse to stand or sing the Japanese national anthem. http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/story/0,4386,266606,00.html?

I've been watching this issue for sometime here in Tokyo, and for those who are too lazy to click on the link, basically the national anthem of Japan has imperialistic roots, and the Japanese teachers are protesting the nationalistic return to that era. This is against the backdrop of Koizumi's continued return visits to the war shrine of those killed in World War II which seems to signify a rise in general glorification of the circumstances that led to World War II. Under the circumstances, I can say I'm firmly on the teachers' sides.

I'm not just saying this because I came from one of the countries of the occupation. I think even without the militaristic tones of the situation, people should have the right to choose whether or not to sing the anthem. This isn't an act of disrespect such as burning the flag.

One of the things this drew to mind, was the fact that I've been standing and singing the national anthem for at least 12 years of my life most mornings but this custom doesn't exist anywhere in the States. Yet I can honestly say that the average American is every bit as patriotic if not more than the average Singaporean. Perhaps because what they're defending is something they believe in with all their heart. After September 11, even though you were looked at strangely, if you choose not to display the flag or sing the anthem they definitely don't punish you. And whether you're red or blue, despite all the different beliefs as to what you should do, everyone believes that what they are doing is simply best for the country.

But of course, even though Singaporeans sing the anthem every day, most of us have no deepset understanding of what it means as we sing it. I guess no matter how many times you sing an anthem, if you don't believe what it's about or barely understanding, it won't instill any deepset patriotism in you. America doesn't need any anthems to instill that patriotism because they tie directly into the beliefs of the people. In Japan's case, since everybody does speak the language the anthem is in, I wonder how effective instiling those values will be.

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